


Hey, Mom

by ForbiddenRoyal



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Do people even read tags?, Human Jim, Oneshot, angst but not too bad, contains lots of spoilers, dont read if you havent watched wizards, takes place right after last wizards episode, the ending I wish happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:53:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27619997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForbiddenRoyal/pseuds/ForbiddenRoyal
Summary: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR WIZARDSFollowing the events of Wizards, Barbara Lake anxiously awaits the safe return of her son. She definitely doesn't expect her son to return to her as a human.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	Hey, Mom

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! I'm back and cross-posting another fic! Don't worry, I'll start writing new stuff soon, but first I want to get everything from my fanfiction.net account posted here.  
> Anyways, This isn't one of my best fics, but I really wanted to share how I thought Jim should reunite with his mother. I also wanted to use this as practice writing in 3rd person, which I usually struggle to do. Anyways I hope you enjoy!

not my best work, but not my worst either. This is the cover art for this fic. And now on with the fic!

* * *

 _5:02_ . _No new messages_. Barbara sighs and puts away her phone. Jim hasn’t texted her in weeks. Usually he’s able to shoot a quick one out every few days. Usually just simple things like a smiley emoji, or a kissy face. Sometimes longer notes of missing home, or easing Barbara’s worry - especially when that giant blue guy with a big eyebrow thing and a ton of eyes showed up. It took Jim sending her video proof that he and the gang were nowhere near that thing to calm her down. But no matter what, he always reaches out to tell her he’s alright. So to say Barbarba was worried would be an understatement. 

“Barbara, love, are you okay? You look a little pale.” Walter asks, coming up behind her. It was then Barbara realized she’d been staring at a blank wall. She shakes her head to clear away any last thoughts. She opens her mouth, ready to lie to Walter then thinks better of it. She should be straightforward with him. She knows she can trust him, and she’ll only be making the both of them miserable by keeping it in.

“It’s Jim. I still haven’t heard back from him.”

“Oh I see. Well you needn’t worry. Young Atlas is the greatest Trollhunter to have ever lived. He’s killed Bular, Gunmar, Angor Rot, and so many more trolls who have threatened our safety. I have faith that he is perfectly fine.”

“If he’s so fine then why hasn’t he texted me in two whole weeks?!” Barbara’s voice grows louder and more hysterical. She’s been bottling up her emotions for a while now, telling herself that Jim will text soon, any day now. But the fact that he _still_ hasn’t, even after she’s texted him a ton, has pushed her worry over the edge. And Walter can sense it too, as he puts the child he’s holding in the nearby bounce swing and guides Barbara to the couch. He brings her a glass of water and she gulps it down in one go. He offers her more, Barbara grabs the pitcher from his hands and chugs the whole thing. Walter chuckles, the scene reminding him fondly of when he helped Young Altas booby trap the house against Angor Rot. Ah, those were the simpler days.

“His phone has probably just run out of juice dear, remember when that happened last month? You know, that time when Claire had to run to a gas station to buy a portable charger?” Barbara nods, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. 

“Yeah, you’re right. He’s probably fine. But…it’s my job to worry about my son and I’m not going to be fully at ease until he sends me another text.” Walter nods knowingly, joining her on the couch. Honestly, Walter’s worried too. He agrees that Young Atlas would have reached out by now, and the twisting in his gut tells him that something went very wrong indeed.

After a few moments of tense silence, Walter gets up to turn on the radio, hoping a bit of background music will calm their nerves. 

“Well that was weird. Oh the things our little town has seen.” The station's host says. At this both Walter and Barbara perk up, because if it was something weird, it must be something connected to Jim. “The school is in shambles, a castle has come crashing to the ground, a golden witch - much like the one from the eternal night - can be seen flying around, two nature spirit things are wreaking havoc, and on top of all that a giant troll thing has been stampeding around.”

Barbara gasps and Walter quickly turn the volume down. Well _that_ wasn’t the reassurance he had been hoping for. He looks to Barbara and sees that she's white as a sheet. She flinches when he puts a hand on her shoulder and he can feel her tremble.

“Jim…” She mutters, her head turning to her favorite picture of her son. He’s still a human and she took it one day when he wasn’t looking. He’s surrounded by his friends, and Toby had just said something to make him chuckle. He’s mid-laugh, the smile on his face so pure and full of joy. It’s so different compared to the Jim he’s become. The strong, serious boy who's been fighting for his life for the past couple years. And for most of it Barbara hasn’t even known! What a great mother she is, not knowing when her own child is in danger and risking his life. A few tears escape Barbara’s eyes as she stares at the picture. Oh those were the simpler days. Now Jim is a troll, and he’s off saving the world again for all she knows. When will she ever see her Jim again? When will he ever come back to her?

**BOOM!!**

Tremors rock the house and Barbara grasps onto Walter. Walter opens his wings and spreads them around Barbara, trying to protect her as much as possible. Barbara looks up in time to see a chunk of flying rock (and is that a tower on it?) fall to the earth. A loud explosion follows and Barbara shields her eyes. After a few moments of silence she dares to open them again. Far in the forest, a cloud of smoke rises and with it a faint purple light. It almost looks like the purple from Claire’s staff…

Barbara gasps and sits up, head colliding with Walters. He grunts in pain but Barbara barely registers it as her mind is focused on one thing. That glow _has_ to be Claires, which means Jim _has_ to be with her! And if there was an explosion, then that could mean Jim is...he could be…

Walter’s hands gently pry at her own and only then does she realize her nails are sharply digging into her arms. Barbara gazes out into the distance, her eyes scanning for any sign of her son. All the while Walter doesn’t let go of her. He rocks her and murmurs soothing words in her ear. Minutes pass by like hours, each second more agonizing than the last. Finally the dust settles, and silence reigns across the forest. Barbara and Walter stiffen, waiting for something to happen. 

The sun starts to set and the couple move to the kitchen, hoping a nice mug of tea will help soothe their shot nerves. Barbara tries to drink hers but can’t swallow more than a sip. Her mind wanders to ‘what ifs’. What if Jim was there? What if that explosion left him fatally injured? What if he’s lying in the forest, hand holding Claire’s before going limp forever. What if-

**DING DONG!!!!**

Barbara and Walter jump, ripped from their troubled thoughts. Who on earth could that be? They exchange a look before slowly making their way to the door. Walter pulls a few knives from his collar and Barbara grabs a bat, holding it at the ready. In this crazy town, you can never be too careful. Walter glances out the window and gasps, dropping his knives in shock. Barbara lowers her bat, looking at him in confusion. He just looks at her like he’s seen a ghost. He steps back and gestures for her to open the door.

Barbara steps up and turns the handle, and sees Toby and Claire standing on the porch. Her eyes widen in shock and she looks around at everyone there. Claire and Toby stand front and center, with AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH and Blinky standing in the shadows to their right. To their left she sees a boy with tattoos and blue hair while a cat with glasses sits in his arms. Well that's new. But where's Jim? Barbara looks around for her son, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Her eyes start to water as she fears the worst, but before she can let the tears fall she needs to know for sure.

“Where...where’s Jim.” It comes out more of a weak command than a question, but Barbara doesn’t care. She needs to know where her son is! Toby and Claire exchange a look then glance behind them. A few moments pass, almost like they’re having a silent conversation with someone, before they step to the side to reveal something behind them. Wait no, not some _thing,_ some _one_. The shadow steps into the light and Barbara gasps for the gazillionth time that day. She blinks a few times and rubs her eyes, expecting the person to disappear at any second. 

“ _Jim_ ?!” Barbara asks, her voice cracking. She reaches out a shaky hand to his face, - his _human_ face - noticing the scars that litter it.

“Hey, Mom,” Jims eyes glisten with tears and his voice shakes as much as his mothers. Barbara finally breaks, letting the tears fall down her face. She pulls Jim close, never wanting to let him go again. Jim just squeezes her back even harder. Barbara’s heart shatters as she hears a choked sob escape her son's throat. Both their knees buckle, and mother and son collapse on the floor. After several sob-filled minutes Barbara finds her voice again.

“How...how are you here? How are you no longer trollish? And what happened to your face? Who hurt you? I will find them and make them _pay_.”

“Woah relax mom,” Jim says, chuckling between tears, “And it's all thanks to Claire I’m here. She’s such a powerful sorcerer and she brought me back, mom, she brought me back for good!” Barbara smiles at him, carding her hand through his hair. Her son is back! He’s back for good! No more hiding from the sun, or eating silverware, or running off in fear. No more fangs, or horns, or stone skin. Her baby boy is home, and Barbara is going to make sure he never leaves her again. They still have much to discuss, but for now Barbara clutches her son tighter, not planning to let him go anytime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked that fic! If you did, please leave kudos, or take a few minutes to leave a review. It means so much to hear what you guys thought and how I could improve my writing. Your input really keeps me going so thank you!


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